A Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma

How can people with BPD and their clinicians communicate more effectively and compassionately with each other? In this solo episode, I draw on my personal experiences and my study of narrative medicine to offer tips for people on both sides of the doctor-patient encounter, especially during the initial visit and collection of the patient’s history. I explain why self-advocacy is so important, particularly for those who identify as women.   Rita Charon, Narrative Medicine: Honoring the Stories of Illness  Maya Dusenbery, Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick Edvard Munch, The Scream Columbia University narrative medicine program University of Toronto narrative-based medicine program

How does the health care system condition how we see our mental health treatment and diagnoses? In this interview—an excerpt from a much longer conversation—I talk with Samantha Dellosso, a social worker, health administrator, and friend of forty years. She and I discuss Medicaid in the U.S., viewing personality disorders along a spectrum, and how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) don’t necessarily determine who we turn out to be. Alexander Kriss, Borderline: The Biography of a Personality Disorder Bessel van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score

How does BPD impact reproductive choices? In this candid interview, Sara Abbott, the host and producer of the #1 Bold Beautiful Borderline podcast, talks with me about how BPD is affecting her decision to have children. We also discuss intergenerational trauma and the stigma she encountered while getting her Master of Social Work degree. Trigger warning: This episode discusses suicide. If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources.

What can we learn from the posthumously published diary of Lara Gilbert, a young Canadian woman with BPD traits who suffered from complex PTSD in the 1990s? In this episode, I read excerpts from I Might Be Nothing: Journal Writing, a selection of writings from the 3200-page diary of Lara Gilbert, which I read in the archives of the University of Victoria. Lara was a brilliant and talented writer, and I wanted some of her words to be heard. While her story is tragic, her experience is a reminder that life is always hard, no matter which era you live in, but we have far more treatment options for BPD and complex PTSD than we did 30 years ago. It is also a reminder that our words live on. This episode concludes the first year of the podcast. Trigger warning: This episode talks about CSA, rape, and suicide. If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources: Walter Benjamin, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” Jennifer Douglas et al., “‘Treat Them with the Reverence of Archivists’: Records Work, Grief Work, and Relationship Work in the Archives” Lara Gilbert, I Might Be Nothing: Journal Writings Cynthia Gralla, “Boxed Memories,” Room, Vol. 46, No. 3 (“Ghosts” issue), September 2023 Murasaki Shikibu, The Tale of Genji Murasaki Shikibu, The Diary of Murasaki Shikibu Bea Tusiani, Pamela Tusiani, and Paula Tusiani-Eng, Remnants of a Life on Paper: A Mother and Daughter’s Struggle with Borderline Personality Disorder  

What is the relationship between BPD and food security? BPD and food insecurity are prevalent among university students, and research shows that poor diets, both in terms of insufficient calories and an overreliance on ultra-processed foods, fuel mood dysregulation, depression, and suicidality. I believe that most universities could do more to support student food security, food sovereignty in the community, and overall mental well-being through food gardens. In this interview, I’ll be speaking with Solara Goldwynn, the farm and food systems lead for a food-growing initiative at Royal Roads University, which is dedicated to sustainability and partnerships with local Indigenous communities. She also explains how gardening can increase resilience. Solara’s food garden business: www.hatchetnseed.ca  Community Food Centres Canada: https://cfccanada.ca/en/Home Diane Ackerman, Cultivating Delight: A Natural History of My Garden Richard Dal Monte, “How Does This Garden Grow . . . Community?” https://www.royalroads.ca/news/how-does-garden-grow-community Bonnie Kaplan and Julia J. Rucklidge, “Junk Food and the Brain: How Modern Diets Lacking in Micronutrients May Contribute to Angry Rhetoric: https://theconversation.com/junk-food-and-the-brain-how-modern-diets-lacking-in-micronutrients-may-contribute-to-angry-rhetoric-170863 The Maple Leaf Centre for Food Community: https://www.feedopportunity.com/ Nathan Sing, “The Fight to End Hunger on Canadian University Campuses”: https://education.macleans.ca/feature/the-fight-to-end-hunger-on-canadian-university-campuses/ Sue Stuart-Smith, The Well-Gardened Mind: The Restorative Power of Nature Prudence Vivarini et al., “Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms in Individuals with Eating Disorder: Association with Severity, Psychological Distress, and Psychosocial Function” Jan Zwicky, Once Upon a Time in the West: Essays on the Politics of Thought and Imagination